Method of continuously forming fluid-tight packages



H. F. WATERS 2,432,054

Y METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY FORMING FLUID-TIGHT PACKAGES Dec. 2, 1947.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 W Y W m u A. F n s Original Filed April 27, 1940 m W m r s A L P o M k R. H T

COA T/NG PAPER SELFSUST/NING THERMOPL HS TIC THERMOPLHS 77C FILM 6 W T A o C PAPE fr COA TNG Dec. 2,- 1947. H. `F. WATERS 2,432,054-

METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLYEORMING FLUID-TIGHT PACKAGES Original Filed April 27, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV ENT OR,

BY Wfl/M.,

PITTURA/EY Patented Dec. 2, 1947 METHOD F coN'rINnoUsLY FORMING FLUID-TIGHT PACKAGES Harry F. Waters, New York, N. Y. Original application Apr-il 27, 1940, Serial No.

331,907. Divided and this application December 185 1941, Serial No. 423,426

2 Claims. 1.

The present invention relates toa novel method for continuously producing fluid-tight packages, and, more particularly to providing such packages with internal, flexible, cushioning members.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 331,907, filed April 27, 1940, for Puncture-proc-f compositel sheets` and method of making the same.

Heretofore, various composite sheets were proposed for the purpose oi duid-tight packages. Generally speaking, these prior sheets included a base of non-fusible character and a thermoplastic and fusible coating or layer on said base which determined the duid-tight character of the finished product and made it possible to unite and to seal a sheet of this type with sheets of similar type by the application of heat and pressure. While these prior sheets were satisfactory in operation for uid-tightly packaging liquids and certain other commodities which had to be sealed and preserved against the effect of atmospheric iniiuences, difficulties were `experienced particularly in packaging granular materials such as, for example, coiee. As those skilled in the art know, it is desirable to pack fresh roasted and ground coiiee in a vacuous atmosphere or in an atmosphere devoid of air and substantially constituted of carbon-dioxide- When coffee Was packed in a flexible-walled, fluid-tight container and the air was removed from such container, the external pressure had the effect of strongly pressing the container walls against the sharp granules of the contents. Especially When the packed coffee was of the steel-cut variety,

extremely sharp edges were present on the individual granules and these edges tended to cut through the paper when this was pressed against the granules by the external atmospheric pressure. As a result, `frequently leakage points or areas developed and made the value of this type ci vacuum-packing problematical. Although it was already suggested to provide liner materials of accentuated thickness and strength Which were capable of resisting cutting effects of sharp granules, such liner materials were relatively eX- pensive and increased the cost of the packaging method. Likewise, as far as I am aware, none of the various other suggestions and proposals ina-de in the past was completely satisfactort7 and successful on a practical and commercial scale. l

It is a feature of novelty of the present invention to provide a continuous method for the production of puncture-proof, :fluid-.tight packages,

Y 2. Y characterized by having a cushioning layer generally not fusible or nuidetight in character constructed and arranged to reinforce, the liner in the region where it is exposed to the mechanical eiects of the contents, but leaving the regions where a heat-seal of fusible material is to be` provided intact.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in con-junction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a puncture-proof, fluid-tight sheet embodying the principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2 depicts a diagrammatic view', somewhat fragmentary in character, of` an apparatus for producing the puncture-proof, fluid-tight sheet shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a sectional View of a modied embodiment oi the invention into a liner material having a plasticized intermediate laver of a 1aminating agent;

Fig, 4 is a similar View of a fur-ther modified embodiment of the invention into a punctureproof composite sheet having four layers;

Fig. 5 illustrates a plan view of a composite sheet in the form of a strip or web for forming fluid-tight packages and having a flexible cushioning .layer or member attached to pre-determined regions thereof;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 depicts the strip or web Shown in Fig. 5 after it has been folded about its longitudinal medial line;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 illustrates a plan view of a portion of the strip shown in Fig. 7 after it has been separated into unit lengths and has been heat-sealed at two edges thereof to form an envelope;

Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of an envelope formed from the structure of Fig. 9 with its lateral marginal portions bent up;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the envelope shown in Figs. 9 and 10 in its squared-up position and having its bottom for-med and sealed;

Fig. 12 is a Section taken on line fIZ-,s-IZ of Fig. l1;

Fig. 13 is a section taken on line l3-I3 of Fig. 11, the thickness of the materials being greatly exaggerated for reasons of clarity; and

Fig. 14 is a perspective View of a finished iluidtight package formed from .the .envelope shown in Figs. 9 to 11,.

Broadiy stated, according to principles 9i my invention, I provide a combination of a plurality of layers of fusible and non-fusible iiexible materials and thereby I obtain a strong and fluidtight structure fusible on at least one face thereof. My invention might take various forms. Thus, I may combine a flexible base coated with a thermo-plastic material with a self-sustaining thermo-plastic layer, or film, by the application of heat and pressure. The advantage of this type of composite material resides in the circumstance that tWo layers of thermo-plastic materials are placed face to face against each other and are firmly bonded by fusion. Due to the fact that in the moment of heat fusion or bonding, the opposing surfaces are in an at least partially plastic condition, pin holes or similar discontinuities present in either thermo-plastic layer will be filled out by the plastic material of the other layer. Similar results are obtained by bonding a thermoplastic-coated flexible base with a self-sustaining, thermo-plastic sheet, or strip, by means of a suitable adhesive or laminating agent. I have found that great advantages are obtained by incorporating a suitable plasticizing agent into the adhesive having an ainity to the thermo-plastic materials used. This makes it possible to use a non-stretchable and tough thermo-plastic material which is easy to laminate and which by the slow migration of the plastioizer thereinto is converted into a relatively yielding layer, or film, which is very desirable for the purpose of fluidtight packages. As a further modification of my invention, a cushioning layer of restricted area may be applied to pre-determined regions of a flexible liner fusible on at least one face thereof. This cushioning layer does not have to be f a thermo-plastic or fluid-tight character and may be constituted of a very dense and tough paper of non-fusible surface adapted to protect the fusible layer from the mechanical effects of sharp granules of the contents of a package, as it will be explained more fully hereafter.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be explained. This type of puncture-proof composite sheet comprises a base I constituted of a non-fusible flexible material, such as paper, having a coating 2 of a suitable thermoplastic material provided thereon. A top layer of a self-sustaining thermo-plastic layer or film 3 is bonded to the coating 2. I have found that best results are obtained by employing heat and pressure to bond the coated paper to the selfsustaining thermo-plastic film. This bonding operation by means of heat and pressure is preferably carried out by means of a pair of rolls 4 and 5 (Fig. 2). As it will be observed in Fig. 2, paper base I is pre-formed and is provided with a relatively thin coating 2 of thermo-plastic material by any one of the well known conventional coating processes. A pre-formed thermo-plastic strip or film 3 is passed in pressure contact with this coated base between rolls 4 and 5 heated to a suitable temperature which will cause fusion of the thermo-plastic layers on at least the opposing surface thereof, whereby such layers will be firmly and uniformly bonded to each other throughout the entire surface thereof. Preferably, the upper roll Il, which is in direct contact with the .self-sustaining thermo-plastic material or film 3, is heated only to a moderately high temperature or is even maintained at room temperature to avoid fusion 0f the thermo-plastic lm on the surface of this roll. On the other hand, lower roll 5 is heated to a temperature which is above the melting or softening point of the thermo-plastic material so that sufficient heat is transferred through the paper base to at least superficially fuse the self -sustaining thermoplastic film and coating and thereby to firmly bond them together throughout the entire surface thereof. I have found that this bonding of a coated paper with a thermoplastic, self-sustaining film may be carried out with great facility and at a high speed. The resulting composite sheet is extremely strong and is completely free from pin holes, cracks, discontinuities and similar danger points of leakage. The probable reason for this surprising phenomenon is that during the bonding operation the two layers of thermoplastic material are softened and pin holes and other openings present in either of the layers will be lled out and sealed by the other layer. The result is that the finished product is completely free from pin holes and has a uniformly tough and strong surface formation greatly resistant to puncturing. Experiments have demonstrated that a composite sheet laminated by heat and pressure in accordance with the principles of my invention may be considerably stronger than a single layer of thermo-plastic material the thickness of which greatly exceeds the combined thicknesses of the self-sustaining thermo-plastic film and of the thermoplastic coating. Moreover, the resultant structure is very inexpensive in character due to the fact that the coating on the base may be of greatly restricted thickness.

Great variations are possible in the material and in the character of the thermo-plastic substances employed for the coating and for the self-sustaining film respectively, In the simplest case both layers may be constituted of the same thermo-plastic material. In some cases, however, it is advantageous to employ thermo-plastic materials of different melting point in order to fuse the stronger thermo-plastic layer and thereby to fill out discontinuities of the weaker layer. Of course, all of these modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art including various other modifications not specifically referred to in this specification.

Fig. 3 illustrates a modified embodiment of the invention in which a tough and non-yielding thermo-plastic layer, or film 6, such as, for example, a layer of a chlorinated rubber known under the trade-name of Pliofilm, is bonded to a. base of paper 1 by means of a layer of a laminating agent or adhesive 8. I have found that for the purpose of fluid-tight packages it is desirable to employ a fiexible sheet which is Huid-tight and fusible on at least one face thereof and which is capable of being stretched at least to a limited extent. In the past considerable diculty was experienced in manufacturing sheets of this type. Most thermo-plastic films available are of a generally tough and non-yielding nature and if they were plasticized by the incorporation of a suitable plasticizing agent, it was diiicult to laminate them with a base of non-yielding character. I have found that this difficulty can be eliminated by the provision of a normally tough and nonyielding thermo-plastic film which is easy to laminate and which is gradually plasticized and made stretchable by the incorporation of a migratory plasticizer into the adhesive or laminating agent. Thus, while the thermo-plastic film is laminated it is still in the tough and non-yielding condition so that it can be readily bonded to the base. After the bonding operation is finished, the plasticizer contained in the adhesive or laminating agent will gradually migrate to the thermo-plastic top layer and'- will gradually convertthesame fintofa .yielding Y"thermoeplastic lmg Experimentshave demonstratedthat a thermo-plasticiilmfhaving the-"described vgradually'plasti'cized character is 'capable of resisting puncturing With great facility inth'it Cluev t0 its slightly'yelding 'hara'otf' 4it Will *stretch-sufficiently around the' edgeslo-fa sharp .'granule indicated at 9 'in'Fig without being puncturedt" As Va v further "modicatio'n' "ol` this concept, in Fig. 4 I 'showanother'composite and Ifpun'ctureeproof 'sheet-Whichis constitutedof four layers. Of these layers lthe lowestuorie Illis preferably constituted 'of strong paperg'dsuch'ejs'.kraft'paper'W-Base Il) is provided/With a thinfcbatingll of-a thermo-plastic material.Y To-"thisfcoating g;

layer is bonded -va normally vtough thermo-plastic lm or layer' I2 by means of van appropriatelamihating agent interposed in Vthe-"form of athin -fil`m orla'y'erv between thermo-plastic layers 'I I and `I2? Laminating layer I3 is of "a character'fsifmil -lar to that'fof layer 8 in3 in that-itcontains a migratory plasticrer` adapted toi gradually` con'- vertfthe normally' tough'top layer into a thermoplastic layer capable rof stretching or ,yielding `to'ja lied embodiment are similar" to that of the 'sheet Shown in Fg and consist in'itsabliltyto lesisjt Ypuhcturingin'.duer1`ces *due to its stretching-and yielding characterpn fact, injthis casfefthisfresista-nce is 'evenstronge'r as result'iof theiproe e vision of'tWo fluid-tight layers I2 and II of which one is sufficient to insure the fluid-tightness off-the finished package. 'Even in case one of thesjelfluid.- ltight layers- 'Would be punctured, the remaining layer will be sufcient to positively preventieek- 'age' particularly in View of the' presence ofthe laminating' layer therebetween' which has the dou-V bleeffectof providing a cushioning effect and alsohas at least some resistance'toithefpermeation of Ifluids. Therefore, this type of sheet provides very 'great protection under' the `I r ifo'st .dif-V 'cult opera-ting conditions; i 'f `.-fli'gs. 5 to 12 illustrate an embodiment of my invention in which the fluid-tight and puncturep'roof character of a package'is obtainedv by the provision Yof acushioning layer provided on top ofthe composite sheet. This cushioning 'layer oi' member' does not have to be ofe, 'fluid-tight fusible character, its only-objectl being to provide mechanical reinforcement ofithe sheet `and 'ofthe finishedfpackage against puncturing influences. The structureand `the operation of thisI modified sheet v/ill'be best understood in connection'yvith the description ofthe procedure off 'fermier f' e; huid-tight package therefrom.Y V

The general structure and arrangement of this sheet--will'be readily understood from Figs. 'i 5 and Gishovving a composite sheet in the formI of a strip or--web for the4 continuous production ofiufid tight packages.VV This'sheet or strip comprises "a base 20-constituted of paper'or 'ofsome similar flexible and sheet-like material." Thisbaseiis provided with a Vthermo-plalstio"and fu'sible'cov ering-layer 2|,Y generally"coveringthe complete sur-face'ofthebas'e. This suitable 'covering layer "-2 mayo-be provided by means "of a coating method or by means of a calendering methodo'the type' disclosedin` (zo-pending application;"Seri'al No; 3229.254;k iiled on April 12, '1946,' riow'laterit No'.` 1228.647 of January '1li-,1941, :On topfof covering layer'Zl I provide individual'rectangularelements' 22- of 'a suitable cushioning materia secured to the vvfusible covering layer 2I by 1 ir1es23` of va* suitable` :adhesive "preferably ofthe typwhicli forcing-'meinem sffaoei this ooipo ite s'hetlr lin'er-- 'against 'mechanical iivue'cesf rid they do' ndt yhveto `c0t15blite` to the`flliidfti`g`hf`- l hess-f 'tlieish'ed'pckage Whch's'prvid'ed by'fln'e'r` 2`l. "Likevv'lseg tS llot''eessary to'lafe cushionihglliyers'220i a therniopl'astic or ''si- 'ble ohralcter 'bllt-'i-t is sulcierltV to "prei/'idee sih `restricted dimensions Vtlflef fiihat they "W'll 'leave iat ie'a'stthe major portioii'of tneneatisealingfrefgiionsfof ithefnnishea'slieet o'rfstrii ioovr'e ""so .that such-'uncovered' fusibleregions maybe ur'ifitefd bythe ppliatonofihat allldlple's'sul the .ins'teritfeaseftne'dimensions of ausmomngmeWk i ibejrszz egr'eisuch to permit heatLsea'li'ng of the s'trip 1in" lthe regions-around `tl1"'fe"fsarr1e denoted'fby refereneei'oharjecterr 4" which 'suuseqentiy will ifo'l'rh atle 'sd`all's`bf thefnshe'd p'ckagfaSit iwilliappeai hereinafter. 'Although' various "fleiifibie #frietenals'=may te used for the' cushioning lembels' 22`1I prefer" to`elr'1pl0y athin" bit Very strong and tough paper havingaverydese puncture-'resisting structure Vsuon "as" lSSl paper. `i"l`n`'forming a package from the finished strip, the'rfst Astep is to 'fold' the strip along its longitu'dinalycent'er vline v25. This, same `as all of the othersubsequent operations, mayv be accom'- p'lijshed imanufally butin 'actual practice' generally "automatic machinery Awill be employed such asa forming "plate "in"connectionr with conventional euxiliary'ldevioe's. Figs. 7 and 8 show the strip a'fter'it has beenl folded along center line 25. lThe str'lipfl'rriay 'be heat-sealed along spaced trans# verse ilines 'forming 4transverse seams 25 which 'divide the space vbetween' the folded-.over portions o'ilthelstrip'vintc container spaces. Hereafter; thefstripmyfbe cut'along lines 21 whereby Aindividualliluid-itight envelopes lare obtained. The appearance of Vone of these envelopes is shown in Fig. `9. 'fIt will be readily lobserved'in this ligure that "their'shd 'envelope isv completely' fiat, is sealedby seams 26 at two edges thereof and has its top-edge 28 open for theintroduction of ma'-y teria'l's to-be packedtherein. Attention is directed tothe 'circumstance that cushioning member 22 WillV form an inner layer or envelope Within the outer-'envelopeand vdue to the pre-sence of glue lines Zfthiscushioning member or envelope will open and 'close together With the outer envelope. Ol'f'you'rse, instead of the'provision of these glue Iine's'bonding' only certain portions of the cushioning member to the'Y envelope', the complete sur- `faceof thecushioning member may be bonded to the envelope by means of a similar adhesive. It will b e noted that the side edges and the top edges f'cushioning' member 22 do not exten-d into the seams 2k6 so that inthis region only the corre-'- spending portions of thermo-plastic layer 2l are placed 'into a face to face contact. O'f course', there isnoobjecton to having the side edges of the'cu's'hioning member extending into a portion lf'the heat-seam" in order to have them firmly bn'dedivvith andA locked in the seam. After the envelope'with'the innermostcushioning and protetive'ilayelhas been completed, its lateral marginal portions 29 may be folded back, this having the: object offpiaoing seems 2s beyond fom' lines 70 Stil"and"therebyto4 provide additional protection i for the'seam. Inadditin, it Will be observed that dlle tothe' dimensions of cushioning lmember 22,

de edges 3 I Willlikewise be beyond fold lines hat these edgesare Valso protected and are lila .dint'o @region VWillen isv notf'accessible to contact with the contents packed within the inner space of the finished envelope, or container. The envelope may now be squared-up (Fig. 11) and its bottom portion may be folded in. This squaring-up operation may be accomplished by means of a suitable device such as a mandrel, may be accomplished manually or may be carried out by previously attaching the nished envelope to an outer carton formed separately or simultaneously with the formation of the envelope as this is disclosed, for example, in my co-pending application, Serial No. 329,254, led on April 12, 1940, now Patent No. 2,228,647. It will be readily seen in Fig. 11 that cushioning member 22 will provide a complete inner bag or container within the finished squared-up envelope so that after the finished container is lled with contents, such as coffee, the granules of the contents will be at no place in direct contact with the thermo-plastic layer or iilm 2|. Thus, a very strong protection will be obtained against puncturing influences and generally speaking, the danger of puncturing by sharp grains of the packed material will be eliminated.

The exact structure of the interlocking portions of the outer envelope and of the inner cushioning layer or bag will be best understood from Fig. 13 which is a section taken on line |3-I3 of Fig. 11, the dimensions of the thermo-plastic-coated or covered paper sheet 32 and of the cushioning layer` or sheet being greatly exaggerated for reasons of clarity. Likewise, to increase the clarity of illustration, the paper base and the thermoplastic layer on the inner face thereof have been illustrated as a single layer 32, rather than two layers 20 and 2l, as in Figs. 5 to 8. Fig. 13 clearly shows that the lateral ends of outer envelope 32 are fluid-tightly sealed by means of a seam 26 and that fin 34 thus formed is turned down flat along the end walls of the squared-up envelope, or container. The side edges 3| of cushioning member or bag 22 are placed face to face against each other and are carried beyond medial fold line 30 and extend into the base portion of fin 34. They are retained in this position by friction which in itself assures suicient stability of the structure. As a modification, it is also pos sible to further extend the side edges 3l of the cushioning member to partially protrude into seam 25 whereby a more rigid interlocking of envelope and cushioning member is obtained. This interlocking effect may be further accentuated by coating or printing at least the lateral terminal regions of cushioning member 22 with a thin layer of a thermo-plastic material which is fused during the provision of seam 26 and provides a strong and permanent bond between envelope and cushioning member.

After lling the internally lined or cushioned container, the air is preferably withdrawn therefrom and the mouth portions of the container are hermetically sealed by means of a completely flat top seal provided by the application of heat and pressure. The upper marginal portions of the container may be folded down in the form of tabs 35 similar to the corresponding tabs of the bottom portions of the container. Preferably, the dimensions of cushioning member 22 are so determined as to have it extend sufficiently upwards toward the mouth opening of the container to prevent direct contact between the granules of the packed material and the inner walls 32 of the package. In fact, in some cases it is advantageous to extend the upper edges of the cushioning member or bag until the region where the top transverse seam is provided whereby the packed material will be completely and positively surrounded by the cushioning member.

The external appearance of the finished package 33 is illustrated in Fig. 14. While this package has been shown as of a completely rectangular structure, it will be obvious to those skilled in the -art that after removal of the internal atmosphere from the package, the walls thereof will collapse around the contents and as a result, the shape of the package will be distorted to a smaller or greater extent.

Of course, it will be readily appreciated that a wide variety of thermo-plastic materials may be employed for forming the self-sustaining films and coatings incorporated into the composite sheets of the invention. Preferred thermo-plastic materials are, for example, certain types of rubber compounds, particularly rubber hydrochloride products sold under the name of Koroseal and Pliolm, certain vinyl resins such as particularly a vinyl derivative sold under the name Vinylite V, which is a co-polymerized vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate. Of course, various other thermo-plastic and re-fusible materials may be used and at present a large number of such materials is available on the market, as those skilled in the art know. It is essential that the thermoplastic and re-fusible material should be capable of providing flexible, tough, non-tacky, moistureproof and gas-proof lms of a self-sustaining character.

Likewise, the laminating agent employed in connection with the embodiments of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of my parent application, above-identified may be of various character in accordance with the thermo-plastic material to be laminated. Generally, the laminating agent should contain a thermo-plastic material similar to the one of which the thermoplastic layer to be laminated is constituted, a suitable solvent therefor, and a plasticiz'ng agent, for example a plasticizing agent sold under the name of Santicizer 15, 16 or 17, and comprising respectively ethyl phthalyl ethyl glycollate; butyl phthalyl butyl glycollate; and methyl phthalyl ethyl glycollate. As a practical example, a laminating agent constituted of about 60 parts by weight of acetone, about 20% by weight of a suitable vinyl resin, and about 20% by Weight of Santicizer 17 provides good results for laminating a self-sustaining thermo-plastic sheet constituted of a similar vinyl resin. This laminating agent is a viscous liquid which may be readily spread on or applied to the surfaces to be laminated.

It is essential that the self-sustaining thermoplastic material forming the top layer of the composite sheet should originally contain a smaller amount of the same plasticizer than the laminating agent so that after the lamination, the plasticizer present in the laminating agent in a higher relative amount should migrate into the top layer Where such plasticizer is present in a lower relative amount. I have found that when it was attempted to directly incorporate such accentuated amounts of plasticizer into the top lm, such film became tacky and difficult to use and to laminate, while when such high percentage of plasticizer was gradually obtained by the slow migration of the plasticizer from the laminating agent into the top layer, such tackiness was avoided and a desirable yielding and stretchable, very slowly aging lm was obtained. The probable reason for this curious phenomenon is that the migratory plasticizer, while permeating most of the thickness of the top layer, will not be present in the uppermost surface or skin portion thereof which thus will act as a non-tacky protective layer. Of course, my invention is independent from the correct or incorrect nature of this theoretical consideration.

In some cases when the to-p layer to be laminated is constituted of a polyvinyl alcohol or of regenerated cellulose, it is possible to use an aqueous solution of glycerine and gelatine as a laminating agent, the glycerine being the migratory plasioizfr proper while the gelatine acts as a type of inhibitor to prevent unduly rapid migration of the pasticizer.

The paper employed as a base may be any suitable paper according to the type of application contemplated, for example kraft paper. The eX- ible cushioning member or layer may be a strong and dense paper of reduced thickness, such as glassine paper. As a rule the cushioning member or layer is not relied upon fo-r maintaining the fluid-tight character of the package and, consequently, does not have to be of a fluid-tight character. There is no objection, however, to employ a duid-tight material for the cushioning member or to provide a cushioning member which is fusible on at least one face thereof.

It wil be noted that the present invention provides various important advantages. First of all, the invention provides various simple methods for the production of composite sheets fusibe at least in certain regions of one face thereof and having a greatly reinforced and punctureproof structure.

I claim:

1. The method of continuously producing fluidtight package blanks having inner surfaces characterized by great resistance to puncturing, which comprises forming a flexible web fluidtight and fusible on one face thereof; securing a plurality of spaced flexible cushioning members transversely over the web; folding the advancing web along its central longitudinal fold line; heat-sealing only the folded web transversely between the severed cushioning members and then separating the so formed flat-folded bag sections from the continuous web.

2. The method of forming flat-folded bag liners adapted upon erection to be inserted into paperboard containers, comprising applying spaced cushioning members transversely over an advancing fusible thermoplastic sheet, the said cushioning members being spaced inwardly of the side of the said sheet and adhered thereto adjacent tosaid sides; folding the web over along its central longitudinal axis with the cushioning members folded flat upon themselves; heat-sealing the composite web transversely between the several unsealed cushioned segments to form a continuous web of flat-folded bag sections separated by unsealed transverse sections, and severing the bag sections from the Web along the said transverse unsealed sections.

HARRY F. WATERS.

REFERENCES CTTED 'The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,162,263 Lindholm June 13, 1939 2,176,370 Wagner s Oct 17, 1939 2,185,647 Penn et al. Jan. 2, 1940 2,257,823 Stokes Oct. 7, 1941 

